中國首架C919噴氣式飛機進入總裝階段-監管機構

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China's first C919 jet bound for airline to enter final assembly - regulator

Mon., September 13, 2021, 8:46 p.m.

BEIJING/SYDNEY (Reuters) -China's first C919 narrowbody jet to be delivered to launch customer China Eastern Airlines is about to enter final assembly, China's aviation regulator said on Monday, with delivery due before the end of the year.

The C919, being built by state-owned planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), will mark a milestone in a decade-long programme to rival aircraft made by Airbus and Boeing.

The C919 programme's certification board met in Shanghai on Sept. 10 and reviewed COMAC reports on batch production of the jet, the Eastern Region Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on its social media account.

COMAC hopes to obtain a type certificate, which certifies the model as airworthy, by the end of the year.

The board also approved proposals to adjust the current plans for obtaining the aircraft's production certificate, which is required for mass production, the regulator said, without giving further details. The C919 is currently in the more limited batch production phase.

(Reporting by Stella Qiu in Beijing and Jamie Freed in Sydney, editing by Richard Pullin)

Translation

北京/悉尼（路透社）——中國航空監管機構週一表示，中國首架交付客戶東航的 C919 窄體客機即將進入總裝階段，並將於年底前交付。

C919 是由國有飛機製造商中國商用飛機公司 (COMAC) 建造，將標誌著與空中巴士和波音公司製造的飛機競爭的長達十年的計劃中的一個里程碑。

中國民用航空局東部地區管理局（CAAC）在其社交媒體賬戶上表示，C919 項目的認證委員會於 9 月 10 日在上海開會，審查了中國商飛關於該飛機有關批量生產的報告。

中國商用飛機公司公司希望在年底前獲得型號合格證，證明該型號適合飛行。

監管機構表示，董事會還批准了調整目前獲得飛機生產證書的計劃的提議，這是大批量生產所必需的，但沒有提供更多細節。 C919 目前處於較有限的批量生產階段。

So, the C919, being built by state-owned plane-maker Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), has marked a milestone in a decade-long programme to rival aircraft made by Airbus and Boeing. I am interested to know how will the market react to this new product.

'遊戲結束了。只有mRNA可以獨當一面’ - 專家預視未來疫苗

Recently Yahoo Finance on-line reported the following:

'It's game over. It's mRNA or nothing:' Expert on future of vaccines

Anjalee Khemlani·Senior Reporter

Yahoo Finance

Tue., September 7, 2021, 1:05 p.m.

Pfizer (PFE) and its partner BioNTech (BNTX) recently got FDA full approval for the most widely-approved and sought after COVID-19 vaccine in the world, to date.

It signals an important change in how vaccines of the future could look, according to Arnaud Bernaert, formerly head of Global Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum.

Bernaert, now head of Health Security Solutions at Swiss-based SICPA, told Yahoo Finance, "I think it's game over. I think it's mRNA or nothing. [Other technology] takes too long."

Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna (MRNA) are invested in the tech, with announcements of pursuits of combination flu-covid shots as well as other diseases.

The potential for mRNA was recognized early. "mRNA vaccines represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration," according to a 2018 article in Nature.

Bernaert cited these reasons as well. "If success needs to be defined as a function of the agility of a manufacturer to be able to reposition the DNA template for combating the next variant, I don't think the U.S. and Europe will do anything else but buy mRNA vaccines" moving forward, he said.

"They [mRNA] will represent 60% or 70% of the market. The other guys will die," he added.

But the pandemic also arrived after early development hurdles had been overcome for the technology. That included the method of delivery, lipid nanoparticles. And within the timeframe of getting the vaccines authorized, Moderna was first to reduce the storage temperatures needed from ultra-cold to normal freezer temperatures.

Now, the next step to unlocking their potential as a dominant technology will be global manufacturing, Bernaert said.

"I think mRNA is going to be a highly decentralized manufacturing technology," he said.

Deals happening now could be viewed as early efforts. That includes the various manufacturing and fill/finish deals that Pfizer and Moderna have penned in the past year.

Moderna has forged relationships with Catalent (CTLT), Switzerland-based Lonza, Spain-based Rovi, and France-based Recipharm for manufacturing. The company also partnered with Takeda (TAK) in Japan, Magenta in the United Arab Emirates and Tabuk in Saudi Arabia for distribution. It has partnered with Thermo Fisher (TMO), Sanofi (SNY), Baxter BioPharma and Samsung Biologics, in South Korea, for fill/finish. In addition, Moderna is working with Canada to set up a new manufacturing facility for future products. That's all on top of investing in its Massachusetts plant to expand manufacturing.

By comparison, pharma giant Pfizer has largely relied on its own sites in the U.S. and Europe, along with BioNTech's capacity, but recently signed agreements for global efforts. That includes with the Biovac Institute in South Africa and Eurofarma in Brazil for manufacturing. It has also partnered with Sanofi for fill/finish.

But further in the future, Bernaert expects mRNA use will lead to a decrease in the need for large-scale manufacturing footprints, "with 20,000-liter bioreactors a story of the past."

Bernaert pointed to California-based Nutcracker Therapeutics, as an example. The company is working on a smaller instrument that could give doctors access to locally-produced mRNA doses.

Already, mRNA companies have achieved improving stability at warmer temperatures compared to ultra-cold temperatures for the first doses. For now, however, the process is "crude," Bernaert said.

"The cold chain challenges will reduce, I think, over time. There will be lots of investments in better encapsulation mechanism, better lipid nanoparticles. It was very crude in the first place. I mean, let's call a spade a spade. The template itself and the way you grow enzymes, I think it's fairly crude."

He foresees synthetic biology DNA templates on the front end and better encapsulation mechanisms (lipids) on the back end. Brought together, it leads to a much more stable manufacturing process, Bernaert said.

Whatever the future holds, mRNA is set to dominate. "Viral vector technologies are going to become obsolete," Bernaert said.

Translation

PFE (輝瑞 ) 及其合作夥伴 BioNTech (BNTX)  最近獲得了 FDA 的全面批准，這是迄今為止世界上最被廣泛批准和最受歡迎的 COVID-19 疫苗。

世界經濟論壇的前全球健康和醫療保健負責人Arnaud Bernaert表示，這標誌著未來疫苗的模樣發生了重大變化。

Bernaert 現在是總部位於瑞士的 SICPA 的Health Security Solutions負責人，他告訴雅虎財經說， “我認為遊戲結束了。我認為只有mRNA可以獨當一面。[其他技術] 需要太長時間。”

輝瑞、BioNTech 和 莫德納 (MRNA) 都投資於這項技術，並宣布尋求出聯合流感病毒疫苗和其他疾病。

mRNA 的潛力很早就被認識到了。《自然》雜誌 2018 年的一篇文章稱, “mRNA 疫苗代表了一種有前途的傳統疫苗方法的替代方案，因為它有高效能, 可以快速發展、有低成本製造和安全管理的潛力” 。

Bernaert 也列舉了這些原因。 他說。“如果成功需要被定義為製造商能夠重新定位 DNA 模板以對抗下一個變體的敏捷性，我認為美國和歐洲除了買 mRNA 疫苗向前邁進之外,不會做任何其他事情”  。

 他補充道,“他們 [mRNA] 將佔市場的 60% 或 70%。其他的都會消失”。

但是，在克服了該技術的早期開發障礙之後，病毒大流行也到來了。障礙包括遞送方法，脂質納米粒子。在獲得批准疫苗的時間範圍內，莫德納(Moderna) 率先將所需的儲存溫度從超低溫降低到正常冷凍溫度。

Bernaert 說，現在，釋放它們作為主導技術的潛力的下一步將是全球製造。

他說,“我認為 mRNA 將成為一種高度分散的製造技術”。

現在進行的交易可以被視為早期的努力。這包括輝瑞和莫德納在過去一年中達成的各種製造和灌裝/完成製成的交易。

莫德納與 Catalent (CTLT)、瑞士的 Lonza、西班牙的 Rovi 和法國的 Recipharm 建立了製造關係。該公司還與日本的武田 (TAK)、阿拉伯聯合酋長國的 Magenta 和沙特阿拉伯的 Tabuk 合作進行分銷。它已與韓國的 Thermo Fisher (TMO)、Sanofi (SNY)、Baxter BioPharma 和 Samsung Biologics 合作進行填充/完成製成。此外，莫德納正在與加拿大合作，為未來的產品建立一個新的製造工廠。這一切都是另外於投資在馬薩諸塞州廠房的擴大製造生產。

相比之下，製藥巨頭輝瑞主要依靠其在美國和歐洲的工廠以及 BioNTech 的產能，但最近也簽署了全球合作協議。其中包括與南非的 Biovac Institute 和巴西的 Eurofarma 合作進行製造。它還與Sanofi合作進行灌裝/完成製成。

但在未來，Bernaert 預計 mRNA 的使用將導致對大規模製造足蹟的需求減少，“20,000 升生物反應器已成為過去。”

Bernaert 以總部位於加利福尼亞的 Nutcracker Therapeutics 為例。該公司正在開發一種更小的儀器，可以讓醫生獲得本地生產的 mRNA 劑量。

與第一批mRNA公司的超低溫劑量相比，該公司已經在更高的溫度下提高了其穩定性。然而Bernaert說，就目前而言，這個過程是 “原始的” 。

“我認為，隨著時間的推移，冷鏈挑戰會減少。會有大量投資放在更好的封裝機制、更好的脂質納米顆粒方面。開始時它非常原始粗。我的意思是，讓我們說真話。在模板本身以及培養酶的方式，我認為它相當原始” 。

他預見了在前面的合成生物學 DNA 模板和在往後更好的封裝機制（脂質）。 Bernaert 說，綜合起來，它會導致更加穩定的製造過程。

Bernaert說, 無論未來如何，mRNA 都將佔據主導地位。 “病毒載體技術將變得過時” 。

       So, according to Bernaert, mRNA is set to dominate while viral vector technologies will become obsolete in the making of vaccines. Let’s wait and see.

Note:

a.       SICPA (acronym for the former name Société Industrielle et Commerciale de Produits Alimentaires, no longer in use) is a Swiss company that provides security inks for currencies and sensitive documents, including identity documents, passports, transport and lottery tickets. The company is also involved in the market for secure traceability of products subject to excise duties, such as alcohol and tobacco stamps, and regulated products, such as halal products. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SICPA)

5 Things to Know About the Evergrande Group, a Chinese Corporate Empire on the Brink (2 of 2)

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

瀬戸際に立つ中国の企業帝国、恒大集団について知るべき５つのこと( 2 of 2)

2021.09.21 Tue posted at 19:37 JST

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英調査会社キャピタル・エコノミクスの主任アジアエコノミスト、マーク・ウィリアムズ氏は先週、恒大集団の破たんは「中国の金融システムがこの数年で直面する最大の試練になるだろう」と指摘した。

同氏はさらに「恒大集団の問題の根源は、中国の居住用不動産に対する需要が持続的な減少期に入ったことにある」「恒大集団の進行中の破たんで、不動産開発業者のデフォルトの波が中国の成長に及ぼす影響に注目が集まることになる」とも述べた。

 

恒大集団は今後どう進む？

恒大集団は１４日、状況の評価の支援を得るため、ファイナンシャルアドバイザーを雇ったと公表した。

こうした外部のアドバイザーは「実行可能なすべての解決策」を探る役割を担うが、恒大集団は何も保証されているわけではないと警告する。

同社は出血を止めるために、電気自動車や不動産サービス事業の一部の買い手を探そうとしたが失敗した。

証券委への提出書類によると、投資家探しで「何も大きな進展はない」状況で、「こうした売却を実現できるかは不確実だ」としている。

恒大集団は１５年に１６億ドルで購入した香港の同社オフィスビルの売却も試みている。だが、売却が「予想するスケジュール内に完了していない」という。

投資家の反応は？

恒大集団の問題は先週、深センの道路上に出現した。ロイター通信によれば、同市の本社前に抗議する人々が数十人集まり、同社の代理人とされる人物に言葉を投げかける様子が見られた。

だが、株主は数カ月前から警戒感を強めている。同社の株価は今年８０％以上下落した。

欧州系格付け会社フィッチと米格付け会社ムーディーズは今月、資金の流動性の問題を理由に恒大集団の信用格付けを引き下げた。フィッチは最近の注釈で「ある種のデフォルトが起きる可能性があると見ている」と記述した。

今回の事態はより広範に中国の投資家を動揺させるものになるとみられる。こうした投資家はすでに、中国政府によるテック企業を中心とする民間企業への締め付けに揺らいでいる。香港株式市場のハンセン指数は２０日、３．３％下落し、過去２カ月近くで最悪の下げとなった。中国の銀行や保険、不動産企業の株価が下落した。

ゴールドマン・サックスのアナリストは「我々の見解では、恒大集団の信用ストレスがどう解決されるかが市場心理を動かすだろう」と発言。信用市場やより広範な経済に言及し、中国の債券市場が打撃を受け、信用の喪失がより幅広い不動産業界に波及する可能性もあると付け加えた。

米ウォールストリートは海外まで影響が及ぶリスクについて、より楽観的に見ているようだ。

ムーディーズ・アナリティクスの主任エコノミスト、マーク・ザンディ氏は先週、ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓに対し「恒大集団の破たんや、より広く言えば中国の不動産企業の財務問題が米国の経済や市場に跳ね返ってくるとは思わない」と発言した。

次に何が起きうる？

アナリストらは、もし恒大集団がデフォルトに陥ったら、中国政府がその余波を抑えるために介入すると見ている。当局が監視を強めているのは明らかだ。

中国国営メディアによれば、同国の国家統計局の付凌暉報道官は先週「いくつかの大きな不動産企業」の苦境を認識していると述べた。

付氏は恒大集団には直接言及しなかったが、中国の不動産市場は安定しているものの、業界全体の発展に関する最近の出来事の影響は「監視が必要だ」と発言した。

前述のキャピタル・エコノミクスのウィリアムズ氏は、もし大きなデフォルトのへの不安が強まれば、中国の中央銀行が流動性の支援で介入するだろうと予測する。

当局は既に行動を始めていると言われている。ブルームバーグ通信は１４日に匿名の情報筋の話として、規制当局が恒大集団の財務状況の精査のために国際的な法律事務所の「金杜律師事務所」に協力を求めたと報じた。

この報道によれば、恒大集団の本拠地、広東省の当局者は恒大集団の設立者からの支援要請を断った。広東省、同社のいずれもコメントの要請に応じていない。

だが、恒大集団を救うにはもう遅すぎると指摘する声もある。

中国メディアは恒大集団の財務問題を「巨大なブラックホール」になぞらえて広く報道し、どんな量の資金もこの問題を解決できないと暗示してきた。

前述のベキンク氏は「究極的には、政府が恒大集団の件に介入すると予想する。同社のデフォルトが銀行システムへと波及するのを許さないためだ」との見方を示し、「恒大集団による大きなデフォルトの影響は特筆に値する」とも語った。

Translation

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Mark Williams, chief Asian economist at a British research firm Capital Economics, said last week that the collapse of the Evergrande Group "will be the biggest challenge China's financial system will face in the past few years."

He further said that, "The root of the Evergrande problem lies in the fact that demand for residential real estate in China has entered a period of persistent decline”; “With the collapse of the Evergrande Group progressing, attention will be focused on the impact of the wave of defaults among real estate developer on China's growth. "

How would the Evergrande Group proceed in the future?

Evergrande Group announced on the 14th that it had hired a financial adviser to help assess the situation.

These outside advisors were responsible for exploring "all feasible solutions," but warned that the Evergrande Group did not guarantee anything.

The company tried to find some buyers in the electric vehicle and real estate services businesses to stop the bleeding, but failed.

According to the documents submitted to the Securities Commission, "there is no major progress" in the search for investors, and "it is uncertain whether such a sale can be realized."

Evergrande Group was also trying to sell its office building in Hong Kong, which it bought for $ 1.6 billion in 2015. However, it was said that the sale "has not been completed within the expected schedule,"

What was the reaction of investors?

The Evergrande problem emerged on the roads of Shenzhen last week. According to Reuters, dozens of protesters gathered in front of the city's headquarters and exchanged words with the alleged agents of the company.

But shareholders had been wary for months. The company's stock price fell by more than 80% this year.

European rating agency Fitch and US rating agency Moody's downgraded Evergrande's credit rating this month due to liquidity issues. Fitch wrote in a recent note that it "sees that some sort of default may occur."

The situation was expected to upset Chinese investors more broadly. These investors were already swayed by the Chinese government's squeeze on private companies, especially tech companies. The Hang Seng Index on the Hong Kong stock market fell 3.3% on the 20th, the worst drop in nearly two months. Stock prices of Chinese banks, insurance and real estate companies had fallen.

An analyst at Goldman Sachs said, "In our view, how the Evergrande group's credit stress is resolved will drive market sentiment". He referred to the credit market and the broader economy, adding that China's bond markets could be hit and credit losses could spread to the wider real estate industry.

Wall Street seemed to be more optimistic about the risks of having an overseas impact.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNN Business last week that "I think the collapse of the Evergrande Group and, more broadly, the financial problems of Chinese real estate companies will not bounce back into the U.S. economy and markets".

What could happen next?

Analysts expected the Chinese government would intervene to curb the aftermath if the Evergrande group defaulted. It was clear that the authorities were increasing its monitoring.

According to Chinese state media, Fù línghuī (付凌暉) the spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics of China said last week that he was aware of the predicament of "some big real estate companies".

Mr. Fu didn't mention the Evergrande Group directly, but said that while China's real estate market was stable, the impact of recent events on the development of the industry as a whole "needs to be monitored."

Mark Williams of Capital Economics mentioned earlier predicted that China's central bank would intervene in liquidity support if concerns about major defaults grew.

Authorities were said to have already begun to act. Bloomberg, according to an anonymous source, reported on the 14th that regulators had sought cooperation from an international law firm, King & Wood Mallesons, to scrutinize the financial situation of the Evergrande Group.

According to a report, officials in Guangdong Province, the home of the Evergrande Group, declined a request for assistance from the founder of the Evergrande Group. Neither Guangdong nor the company had responded to requests for comment.

However, some had pointed out that it was too late to save Evergrande.

The Chinese media had widely reported the financial problems of the Evergrande Group as a "huge black hole", implying that no amount of money could solve the problem.

Bekink said, "Ultimately, we expect the government to intervene in the Evergrande case, because it doesn't allow the company's defaults to spread to the banking system". And further added that, “The impact of the large defaults by the Evergrande Group deserves special mention. "

              So, Evergrande Group 's predicament is causing a major challenge to the Chinese government. This problem may develop into the "Chinese version of the Lehman shock" and pose a risk in spreading shockwaves in the world's second largest economy. The Chinese media has widely reported this financial problem of the Evergrande Group as a "huge black hole", implying that no amount of money can solve the problem. I am interested in knowing how CCP will handle this financial crisis.

5 Things to Know About the Evergrande Group - a Chinese Corporate Empire on the Brink (1 of 2)

Recently CNN.co.jp recently reported the following:

瀬戸際に立つ中国の企業帝国、恒大集団について知るべき５つのこと(1 of 2)

2021.09.21 Tue posted at 19:37 JST

 香港（ＣＮN Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ） 中国の巨大複合企業「恒大集団」が資金の行き詰まりによる債務不履行（デフォルト）の可能性について改めて警告したことを受け、同社の問題がメディアで大きく報じられている。

専門家は、同社の苦境は中国政府にとって大きな試練になると指摘。この問題が「中国版リーマン・ショック」に発展して、世界第２位の経済大国に衝撃が広がるリスクを指摘している。

恒大集団にとっては今週が正念場になりそうだ。米ブルームバーグ通信によると、２０日は一部の銀行融資の利払い予定日だった。同通信は、中国当局が主要行に対して支払いは受けられないと伝えたと報じた。

恒大集団はこうした支払いについて現時点でＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓの取材に応じていない。

金融情報会社リフィニティブによると、今週後半には、同社の２つの社債に関する計１億ドル超（約１１０億円）の利払いが控えている。

以下に恒大集団について知っておくべき情報や、現在の状況に至る経緯をまとめた。

恒大集団とはどんな企業か？

恒大集団は中国最大級の不動産開発会社の一つ。米誌フォーチュンが選ぶ世界企業番付「グローバル５００」に名を連ねており、売り上げベースで世界最大の企業の一つとなっている。

香港に上場し中国南部・深センに本社を置く同社は、約２０万人の従業員を抱える。これ以外にも、年間３８０万人以上の雇用の維持に貢献している。

同集団を設立した中国人富豪、許家印氏は一時、中国で最も裕福な人物となっていた。

恒大集団は住宅用不動産の開発で名を上げた企業で、中国各地の「２８０以上の都市で１３００以上のプロジェクトがある」と主張する。ただ、その事業は不動産をはるかに超える分野に広がっている。

住宅以外では、電気自動車やスポーツ、テーマパークに投資。飲食事業まで手がけ、ボトル入りの水や日用品、乳製品などの事業を中国各地で展開している。

２０１０年には、「広州恒大」の名称で知られるサッカーチームを買収した。同チームはその後、世界最大とみられているサッカースクールを創設したが、これには恒大集団が１億８５００万ドル（約２００億円）を負担した。

恒大集団はテーマパーク部門の「恒大童世界」を通じて観光客相手のサービスも手がけている。中でも有名なのは、海南島で進む巨大プロジェクト「海花島」だ。熱帯地域にかかる海南島は「中国のハワイ」と呼ばれることが多い。

 

同社が問題を抱えた経緯

恒大集団は多様な取り組みの資金を借り入れで調達しており、近年は債務が膨れ上がっていた。

同集団は中国で最も債務を抱えた不動産開発業者として有名で、負債総額は米ドル換算で３０００億ドル（約３３兆円）を超える。この数週間、同社は早急に資金調達できなければ債務不履行に陥る可能性があるとして、投資家に資金繰りの問題を警告してきた。

先週には証券取引所への提出書類で、一部資産の買い手を見つけるのに苦労していると明かし、こうした警告が強調される結果となった。

専門家によると、ある意味では同社の積極姿勢が苦境を招いたとも言える。英誌エコノミスト調査部門の中国部門責任者、マティー・ベキンク氏は、同社が「中核事業から大きく逸脱したことが今回の混乱に至る一因になった」と話す。

ゴールドマン・サックスのアナリストらは、同社の構造も「（会社の）建て直しの状況をより正確に把握するのを難しく」させていると指摘。最近のメモで「恒大集団の複雑さや、資産と負債に関する十分な情報の不足」に言及した。

ただ、恒大集団の苦境は中国における根本的なリスクをも象徴している。

「恒大の話は、債務に関連する中国経済の深い、（そして）構造的な課題の話だ」とベキンク氏は語る。

これは全く新しい問題ではない。中国では昨年、複数の中国国営企業が融資を返済できなくなった。成長を支えるために債務中心の投資に依存する中国の現状に懸念の声が広がった。

中国政府が海外進出を目的に多額の借り入れをする企業の取り締まり乗り出すなか、１８年には、富豪の王健林氏が自身の手がける大連万達集団の縮小を余儀なくされた。

(to be continued)

 Translation

Hong Kong (CNN Business) - China's giant conglomerate "Evergrande Group" (恒大集団)had renewed its warning about the possibility of default due to a financial deadlock, and the company's problems had been widely reported in the media.

Experts pointed out that the company's predicament posed a major challenge to the Chinese government. They pointed out the risk that this problem could develop into the "Chinese version of the Lehman shock" and the risk in spreading shock in the world's second largest economy.

This week was likely to be a crucial moment for the Evergrande Group. According to the Bloomberg news agency, the 20th was the scheduled interest payment date for some bank loans. The news agency reported that Chinese officials said they would not be able to pay the major banks.

Evergrande Group was not currently answering to an interview with CNN Business about these payments.

According to financial information firm Refinitiv, interest payments later this week on the company's two corporate bonds totaling more than $ 100 million were being held back.

Below was a summary of what you need to know about the Evergrande Group and how it came to the current situation.

What kind of company was the Evergrande Group?

Evergrande Group was one of the largest real estate development companies in China. It was listed in the "Global 500" global company ranking selected by the US magazine Fortune, and was one of the largest companies in the world on a sales basis.

Listed in Hong Kong and headquartered in Shenzhen, South China, the company employed approximately 200,000 people. In addition to this, it contributed to maintain the employment of more than 3.8 million people annually.

Xu Jiayin (許家印), the wealthy Chinese who founded the group, was once the wealthiest person in China.

Evergrande Group was a well-known company in the development of residential real estate, claiming that there were "more than 1,300 projects in more than 280 cities" across China. However, the business extended far beyond real estate.

Other than housing, it invested in electric vehicles, sports, and theme parks. It also handled the restaurant business, and was developing businesses such as bottled water, daily necessities, and dairy products all over China.

In 2010, it acquired a soccer team known as "Guangzhou Hengda". The team then created the world's largest football school which the Evergrande Group paid $ 185 million.

Evergrande Group also provided tourists services through the theme park division "Evergrande Children's World." One of the most famous items was the huge project " Hǎi huādǎo " on Hainan Island. Hainan Island, which spanned the tropics, was often referred to as "Hawaii in China."

How the company took on the problems

The Evergrande Group had borrowed funds for various initiatives, and in recent years its debt had swelled.

The group was famous as the most debt-bearing real estate developer in China, with total debt exceeding $ 300 billion in US dollars. Over the past few weeks, the company warned investors of its funding problems, saying it could default if it couldn't raise money quickly.

Last week, a filing with the stock exchange revealed that it was struggling to find buyers for some assets, the result was that such warnings were highlighted.

According to experts, in a sense, the company's aggressive stance had caused a predicament. Mattie Bekink, China Director of the Intelligence Unit of the British magazine The Economist said, "A major departure from the core business contributed to the turmoil".

Goldman Sachs analysts pointed out that the company's structure also made it "difficult to get a more accurate picture of the (company's) restructuring situation." In a recent memo, "the complexity of the Evergrande Group and the lack of sufficient information on assets and liabilities" were being mentioned.

However, the predicament of the Evergrande Group also symbolized the fundamental risks in China.

Bekink said, "The Evergrande story is about the deep (and) structural challenges of the Chinese economy in relation to debt".

This was not a completely new issue. Last year, several Chinese state-owned enterprises were unable to repay their loans in China. Concerns had spread over the current situation in China, which relied on debt-centric investment to support growth.

As the Chinese government began to crack down on companies that borrowed large amount of money for the purpose of expanding overseas, in 2018, millionaire Wang Jianlin (王健林) was forced to shrink his own Dalian Wanda Group (万达集团).

(to be continued)

香港：天安門守夜活動組織者被捕

Recently BBC News on-line reported the following:

Hong Kong: Tiananmen vigil organizers arrested

Wed., September 8, 2021, 4:09 a.m.

Several members of a pro-democracy Hong Kong organization have been arrested after their group was accused of working as a "foreign agent".

The Hong Kong Alliance is known for organizing the city's famed annual vigil for victims of the deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Pro-democracy activist and barrister Chow Hang Tung was among the arrested.

The arrests were made under the national security law, which has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Hong Kong police's national security unit had earlier requested that the Hong Kong Alliance hand over information, reportedly including personal details of all members since the group's founding and financial records.

On Tuesday, the deadline for the request, the alliance members handed over a letter explaining their refusal to cooperate.

The next morning, police officers arrested four members of the alliance's standing committee at their homes or offices.

"We are going to respond, to say that we feel you have no legal grounds for your demands, so we are just going to ignore you," Ms. Chow, the vice chairperson of the alliance, had told AFP on her way to the police station.

Police have said that those who fail to comply with their request could face up to six months in jail and a fine of HK$100,000 ($12,800, £9,300).

Ms. Chow, a human rights lawyer, was arrested earlier this year and charged with promoting unauthorized assembly. She was later released on bail.

She was due on Wednesday to represent an opposition politician charged under the national security law at a bail hearing, but was arrested at her office before she could appear in court.

China recently imposed a broadly-worded national security law in Hong Kong that criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

Critics say it is aimed at crushing dissent but China says it is meant to maintain stability.

In June, Chow Hang Tung spoke to BBC Chinese explaining why she was encouraging those in Hong Kong to remember the Tiananmen crackdown.

Translation

一個香港民主派組織的幾名成員在被指控為“外國代理人”後被捕。

香港支聯會以組織該市著名的每一年度，為 1989 年天安門廣場受鎮壓致命者守夜活動而聞名。

被捕者之一是民主活動人士大律師鄒幸彤。

這些逮捕是根據國家安全法進行的，最高可判處無期徒刑。

香港警方國安部門早些時候曾要求香港支聯會交出一些資料，據報導，其中包括該組織成立以來所有成員的個人資料和財務記錄。

在週二，也就是要求交出的截止日期，支聯會成員提交了一封信，解釋了他們拒絕合作的原因。

第二天早上，警察在家中或辦公室逮捕了該會的常務委員會的四名成員他們。

該聯盟副主席鄒幸彤女士在前往警署期間的途中告訴法新社說,“我們將做出回應，說出我們覺得你[警方]的要求沒有法律依據，所以我們只會無視你” 。

警方表示，不遵守其要求的人可能面臨長達 6 個月的監禁和罰款 100,000 港元（12,800 美元，9,300 英鎊）。

鄒幸彤女士是一名人權律師，今年早些時候被捕，被控煽動未經授權的集會。她後來被保釋。

她原定於週三在一個保釋聆聽會上代表一名根據國家安全法受到指控的反對派政治人物，但在出庭之前她在其辦公室被捕。

中國最近在香港實施了一項措辭寬鬆的國家安全法，將分裂國家、顛覆、恐怖主義和與外國勢力勾結定為犯罪。

批評人士稱，此舉旨在鎮壓異議，但中國稱其目的是維持穩定。

6 月，鄒幸彤彤接受 BBC 中文採訪，解釋她為何鼓勵香港人記着天安門的鎮壓。

              So, the Hong Kong Alliance that is known for organizing the city's famed annual vigil for victims of the deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown is now under investigation of the police and its top officials are arrested. It indicates that the broadly-worded national security law in Hong Kong is an easy tool for the government to suppress opposition voices.

Booster inoculation in US - will Moderna start with a delay of 1 to 2 weeks? Director Fauci

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

米追加接種、モデルナ製は１～２週遅れで開始か　ファウチ所長

2021.09.06 Mon posted at 13:58 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 米国立アレルギー感染症研究所のアンソニー・ファウチ所長は５日、新型コロナウイルスワクチンの国内での追加接種について、ファイザー製ワクチンは予定通り２０日の週から始まる一方、モデルナ製は少し遅れてスタートするとの見通しを示した。

ファウチ氏はＣＮＮとのインタビューで、ファイザーはすでに食品医薬品局（ＦＤＡ）へ必要なデータを提出し、接種開始の態勢が整っているようだが、モデルナは多少遅れている可能性があると指摘。そうであれば、両社のワクチンを同時に打ち始める予定を変更し、モデルナ製を１～２週間遅らせることになると述べた。

同氏は一方で、時期が多少ずれても大きな問題にはならないと語り、追加接種は最終的に計画通り実行されると強調した。

同氏によると、各社がＦＤＡにデータを提出して承認を得た後、疾病対策センター（ＣＤＣ）諮問委員会の勧告を受けて接種開始の運びとなる。

ファウチ氏はインタビューで、米国内外での特にデルタ変異株を取り巻く状況から、ワクチンの効果は時とともに低下する傾向がみられると指摘。中でも接種状況が米国より１カ月ほど進んでいるイスラエルのデータでは、感染を防ぐ効果は相当下がり、入院を防ぐ効果も間違いなく低下することが分かると述べた。

そのうえで、イスラエルでは追加接種により、感染と入院のいずれを防ぐ効果も回復し、それまでを上回るレベルにまで達することが示されていると強調した。

Translation

(CNN) Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on the 5th that regarding the new coronavirus vaccine booster vaccination for the country, while the Pfizer vaccine would start on the 20th week as scheduled, the vaccination of Moderna could be slightly delayed.

In an interview with CNN, Fauci pointed out that Pfizer had already submitted the necessary data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was ready to start vaccination, but Moderna may be a little late. If so, he said he would change the schedule to start vaccinations from both companies at the same time by delaying those made by Moderna by a week or two.

On the other hand, he said it wouldn't be a big problem if the timing was slightly off, and emphasized that the booster vaccination would eventually be carried out as planned.

He said that after individual company had submitted the data to the FDA and obtained approval, the vaccination would be started at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Board.

In an interview, Fauci pointed out that the effectiveness of the vaccine tended to decline over time, especially due to the situation related to delta mutants in the United States and abroad. Among them, Israeli data, which was about a month ahead of the United States, showed that the effect of preventing infection was considerably reduced, and the effect of preventing hospitalization was definitely reduced.

He stressed that booster vaccinations showed the ability to restore the effectiveness both in preventing infection and hospitalization in Israel, and to reach a higher level of effectiveness than before.

              So, it is pointed out that the effectiveness of the vaccine tends to decline over time, especially due to the circumstances surrounding Delta mutants in the United States and abroad. A booster could be a solution.

中國新的證券交易所計劃加劇擔憂交易所之爭

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China's new stock exchange plans fuel fears of a bourse war

Fri., September 3, 2021, 2:48 a.m.

SHANGHAI, Sept 3 (Reuters) - China's plans to launch a new exchange in Beijing, announced by President Xi Jinping on Thursday, boosted shares in Chinese brokerages but knocked down Shenzhen start-up board ChiNext and shares of Hong Kong's bourse amid fears of rising competition.

Although China's securities regulator said the planned Beijing stock exchange is based on the city's existing New Third Board, and complements Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses, some fear a rivalry for listing resources is inevitable.

"The Beijing stock exchange has equal footing with Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses. If it prospers, the three will share the market in tripartite confrontation," wrote Rock Jin, economist and CEO of investment adviser PopEton.

Although it was good news for the economy, it boded ill for the market in the short term because "after all, it diverts capital away from Shanghai and Shenzhen markets."

Xi unveiled plans for the new exchange in a video address at the opening of a conference late on Thursday. The bourse will serve innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and is part of a reform of Beijing's New Third Board.

Neither Xi nor the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said if the Beijing stock exchange would attract overseas-listed firms. If that is the case, "it would increase the competition" in listings for the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEx), Jefferies said in a note.

HKEx shares dropped more than 2% on Friday and Shenzhen's ChiNext fell over 1%, both underperforming the broader market.

But shares of brokerages, including Northeast Securities Co , Dongxing Securities Co and Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co jumped, as investors bet they will benefit from more initial public offerings (IPOs).

"This is a step forward in capital market reforms, as it enhances the multi-layered capital market system and direct financing," Morgan Stanley said in a note.

The bank added that the implementation of a registration-based IPO mechanism on the Beijing exchange paves the way for the rollout of the listing system on China's main boards. Currently, only Shenzhen's ChiNext, and Shanghai's tech-focused STAR Market adopts the U.S.-style IPO system.

FUNDING DIFFICULTY

China is launching the new exchange as part of efforts to channel more household savings into the stock market to fund innovation and economic recovery, while reducing the economy's reliance on bank lending. It also comes as U.S.-listed Chinese companies face the risk of delisting amid Sino-U.S. tensions.

"Funding difficulty is the main challenge facing SMEs," wrote Liu Hui, fund manager at Invesco.

 "Supporting SMEs with direct financing helps promote China's consumption, as SMEs employ most of the labour force in China."

CSRC said on Friday that the new exchange will be based on the current "select tier" of Beijing's New Third Board, meaning all the 66 companies listed in that tier will be transferred to the Beijing exchange.

CSRC also announced draft rules for share sales, trading and delisting on the new venue. Companies to be listed on the Beijing exchange are "smaller and newer" than those listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and eligible ones can also migrate to the other two bourses seamlessly, CSRC official Zhou Guihua told a press conference on Friday.

In addition, only qualified investors can trade on the Beijing exchange, which sets higher bar in line with the higher risks involved in investing in SMEs, he said.

Zhou also vowed to crack down on insider trading, stock manipulation and false disclosures, in order to promote long-term, rational investing on the new board.

The New Third Board, which was set up in 2013, currently houses a total of 7,299 SMEs, mostly in the "base tier" and "innovation tier".

The board once attracted more than 10,000 companies listed in 2013-16, but the market has suffered from poor liquidity since China's spectacular 2015 market boom and bust.

Economist Jin said it was a big question mark whether the new exchange would thrive, as "the city of Beijing doesn't have the right culture for an exchange." (Reporting by Samuel Shen and Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Stephen Coates and David Evans)

Translation

路透上海 9 月 3 日 - 中國國家主席習近平周四宣佈在北京設立新交易所的計劃, 提振了中國券商的股價。但由於擔心競爭，深圳初啟業者的創業板和香港交易所的股價都下跌。

儘管中國證監會表示，計劃中的北京證券交易所是以該市現有的新三板為基礎，並與滬深兩市相輔相成，但有些人擔心上市資源的競爭是不可避免的。

投資顧問PopEton的經濟學家兼首席執行官Rock Jin寫道：“北京證券交易所與上海及深圳交易所平起平坐。如果它繁榮起來，三者將在分享市場中作出三方衡抗。”

雖然這對經濟來說是個好消息，但在短期內對市場來說卻是個壞消息，因為“畢竟它把資金從滬深市場分流了”。

習近平在周四晚間的一次會議開幕式上的視頻講話中公佈了新交易所的計劃。該交易所將服務創新型的中小企業，是北京新三板改革的一部分。

習近平和中國證監會都沒有表示北京證券交易所是否會吸引海外上市公司。如果是這樣，“這將增加香港交易及結算所有限公司（HKEx）上市的競爭”, Jefferies 在一份報告中表示。

港交所股價週五下跌超過 2%，深圳創業板下跌超過 1%，均跑輸大市。

但包括東北證券公司、東興證券公司和申万宏源集團公司在內的券商股價跳漲，因為投資者押注他們將受惠於更多的首次公開募股 (IPO)。

摩根士丹利在一份報告中表示 “這是資本市場改革向前邁出的一步，因為它增強了多層次資本市場體系和直接融資” 。

該行補充說，北京交易所實施註冊制IPO機制，為中國主板上市制度的推出鋪平了道路。目前，只有深圳的創業板和上海證券交易科技聚焦的科創板採用美式IPO制度。

資金困難

中國正在以啟動新交易所以作為要努力的一部分,將更多家庭儲蓄引入股市以資助創新意念和使經濟復甦, 同時減少經濟對銀行貸款的依賴。與此同時，在中美緊張局勢下，在美上市的中國公司正面臨退市風險。

景順基金(Invesco) 經理劉輝 (Liu Hui) 寫道,“資金困難是中小企業面臨的主要挑戰”。

“因為中小企業僱用了中國的大部分勞動力, 通過直接融資支持中小企業有助於促進中國的消費。”

中國證監(CSRC)會周五表示，新交易所將基於北京新三板目前的“精選層級” 。這意味著該層級上市的66家公司將全部轉移到北京交易所。

中國證監會還公佈了新場所股票買賣交易和退市規則草案。中國證監會官員Zhou Guihua周五在新聞發布會上表示，將在北京交易所上市的公司, 比在上海和深圳上市的公司 “更小、更新” 。符合條件的公司也可以無縫地遷移到另外兩個交易所。

他說，此外，只有合格投資者才能在北京交易所交易，並設定了更高的門檻, 這與投資中小企業涉及的風險較高一致。

Zhou Guihua 還誓言要嚴厲打擊內幕交易、股票操縱和虛假信息披露，以促進新板的長期理性投資。

新三板成立於2013年，目前共有7,299家中小企業，主要處於“基礎層”和“創新層”。

該板曾在 2013-16 年吸引了超過 10,000 家公司上市，但自 2015 年中國壯觀的市場興旺和之後的蕭條以來，市場一直遭受流動性不佳的困擾。

經濟學家Rock Jin表示，新的交易所能否蓬勃發展是一個很大的問號，因為“北京沒有適合交易所的文化。”

 So, China's plans to launch a new exchange in Beijing. Although China's securities regulator says that the planned Beijing stock exchange is based on the city's existing New Third Board, and complements Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses, some people in Hong Kong fear that a rivalry for listing resources is inevitable.

Note:

a. ChiNext is a NASDAQ-style subsidiary of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The first batch of firms started trading on ChiNext on October 30, 2009. As of June 2015, there were 464 firms listed on ChiNext. ChiNext aims to attract innovative and fast-growing enterprises, especially high-tech firms. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChiNext)

WHO - Mutant virus "Mu strain" - confirmed in Japan for the first time - "it could affect vaccines"

Recently NHK News On-line reported the following:

変異ウイルス「ミュー株」国内初確認 “ワクチンに影響も”WHO

2021年9月2日 12時33分

ことし7月にかけて空港の検疫所で新型コロナウイルスの検査を受けて陽性と確認された2人が、WHO＝世界保健機関が「注目すべき変異株」に指定した変異ウイルスの「ミュー株」に感染していたことが分かりました。国内で確認されたのは初めてです。

変異ウイルスの「ミュー株」は南米やヨーロッパで報告され、WHOは先月30日、ワクチンの効果や感染力に影響を与える可能性などがある「VOI＝注目すべき変異株」に位置づけました。

厚生労働省が、検疫の検査で採取された検体について遺伝子解析の結果をさかのぼって調べたところ

▽ことし6月26日にUAE＝アラブ首長国連邦から成田空港に到着した40代の女性と

▽7月5日にイギリスから羽田空港に到着した50代の女性の2人が

ミュー株に感染していたことが分かったということです。

国内でミュー株への感染が判明したのは初めてで、国立感染症研究所の脇田隆字所長は「さまざまな変異ウイルスが出てくるが従来のウイルスを押しのけて拡大する状況があれば注意が必要で、情報を集めていく必要がある」としています。

WHOによりますと、ミュー株はワクチンの効果に影響を与える可能性があると指摘されていて、ことし1月にコロンビアで初めて確認されて以降、30か国以上で感染が報告されています。

加藤官房長官「変異株の動向を監視」

加藤官房長官は、2日午前の記者会見で「WHO＝世界保健機関によると『ミュー株』の変異には、ワクチンへの影響がある可能性が示唆されているが、さらなる調査が必要とされているところだ」と述べました。

そのうえで「引き続き情報収集をしっかり行い、検疫で陽性が判明した検体全例について、国立感染症研究所でゲノム解析を実施する。また、国内におけるゲノムサーベイランスにより変異株の動向を監視し、海外における感染動向も踏まえながら、水際対策においても不断の見直しを行っていきたい」と述べました。

Translation

It was found out that up to July this year, two people who were tested positive for the new coronavirus at the airport quarantine station were infect by a mutant virus "Mu strain" that was designated as "notable mutants" by WHO = World Health Organization. This is the first confirmation in Japan.

The mutant virus "Mu strain" had been reported in South America and Europe, and on the 30th of last month, WHO ranked it as a "VOI = variants of interest" as it may affect vaccine effectiveness and infectivity.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare retroactively examined the results of genetic analysis on samples collected during quarantine inspection had just been carried out:

▽ a woman in her 40s who arrived at Narita Airport from UAE = United Arab Emirates on June 26th this year, and

▽ two women in their 50s who arrived at Haneda Airport from England on July 5

It turned out that they were infected with the Mu strain.

This is the first time that an infection with a Mu strain was found in Japan, and Takaji Wakita (脇田隆字), director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said, "Various mutant viruses will appear, but be careful if there is a situation where the conventional virus is pushed away and spread out; and we need to collect the information. "

According to the WHO, the Mu strain could affect the effectiveness of the vaccine, and since it was first confirmed in Colombia in January, infections had been reported in more than 30 countries.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato to "Monitor the Trends of Mutant Strains"

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato said at a press conference on the morning of the 2^nd that "WHO = World Health Organization had suggested that mutations in the 'Mu strain' might have an effect on vaccines, further investigation would be needed and is being carried out. "

After that, it was said that, "We will continue to collect information diligently and carry out genome analysis at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases for all specimens that are found positive during the quarantine. In addition, on domestic mutant strains, to monitor the trends by genome surveillance; while taking into account overseas infection trends we would like to constantly review the border measures".

              So, the mutant virus "Mu strain" has been ranked by WHO as a "VOI = mutant strain needs attention" as it may affect vaccine effectiveness and infectivity. I am wondering if this could post a new challenge to the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers.

Indonesia - Discovered a teenage woman who died 7,000 years ago with DNA lineage unknown to modern human

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

７０００年前に死んだ１０代女性のＤＮＡから未知の現生人類の系統を発見　インドネシア

2021.08.26 Thu posted at 19:00 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） ７０００年以上前にインドネシアのスラウェシ島で死んだ狩猟採集民の１０代女性のＤＮＡを分析したところ、これまで世界のどこからも見つかっていない現生人類の系統に属していることが分かった。

２５日刊行の科学誌ネイチャーに、当該の研究論文が掲載された。

豪グリフィス大学人類進化研究センターの考古学教授、アダム・ブラム氏は電子メールで今回の発見について、アジアとオーストラリアの間に位置する島嶼（とうしょ）地帯「ウォーレシア」で見つかった初めての古代人のＤＮＡだと説明。世界の中でも知見の少ない地域の初期現生人類について、遺伝子上の多様性と集団史を探る新たな手掛かりになるとの認識を示した。

スラウェシ島、ロンボク島、フロレス島といったインドネシアの島々で主に構成されるウォーレシアを経由し、初めて現生人類がユーラシア大陸からオーストラリア大陸に渡ったのは５万年以上前と考えられている。具体的な経路や航行の手段は不明だが、かなり精巧な舟を使ったはずだとブラム氏はみている。当時は最終氷期で、地球上の海面の高さは現在より最大１４０メートル低かったが、それでも島々をつなぐような陸地は存在していなかったという。

道具や洞窟壁画の発見から、これらの島々には４万７０００年前までに人が住み着いていたとみられる。今回分析の対象となった骨は１７～１８歳の女性のもので、２０１５年にスラウェシ島の洞窟で見つかった。考古学上の遺跡の一部でもあるその洞窟に遺体が埋められたのは７２００年前にさかのぼる。

ＤＮＡは錐体（すいたい）骨と呼ばれる楔（くさび）形の骨から採取した。論文筆頭著者のセリーナ・カールホフ氏によると、熱帯性の気候の中で分解が著しく進んだ残骸からの採取は非常に困難だったという。

ＤＮＡを解析した結果、女性は５万年前にウォーレシアにやってきた最初の現生人類の子孫だと判明した。彼らはオーストラリアとニューギニアを合わせた氷河期の陸塊に最初に定住した人類の一部で、ブルム氏によれば現在のオーストラリアの先住民とパプア人の祖先に当たる。

女性にはまた、アジアに由来する別の系統の祖先がいることも分かった。ブルム氏によると、これまではアジア系の遺伝子を持つ人類が最初にウォーレシアに定住したのはおよそ３５００年前と考えられていた。だが今回の発見で、当該の地域に現在まで全く知られていなかった現生人類のグループが存在した可能性が示唆されるという。

現在、この系統の子孫は生き残っていない。

女性のＤＮＡはさらに、今は絶滅し謎めいたデニソワ人の痕跡も含んでいる。これまでデニソワ人の化石は主にシベリアとチベットから出土している。

論文の共著者でドイツのマックス・プランク進化人類学研究所の考古遺伝学教授、ヨハネス・クラウゼ氏は、スラウェシ島の女性からデニソワ人の遺伝子が見つかったことは「デニソワ人がこれまで考えられていたよりはるかに広い地域に広がっていたという我々の仮説を支持する」と語る。

ただ、ウォーレシア西部に住んでいた他の狩猟者のＤＮＡを見ると、デニソワ人の痕跡はない。

「ウォーレシアでは現生人類とデニソワ人の地理的分布が重なっていたのかもしれない。もしかしたら、そこはデニソワ人とオーストラリア先住民やパプア人が交雑した重要な場所である可能性もある」と、共著者で独テュービンゲン大学のコジモ・ポスト教授は指摘する。

今回の発見は、研究者が東南アジアにおける古代の遺伝子的な歴史を理解しようとする中で、パズルをひもとく一つのピースになる。

Translation

(CNN) Analysis of the DNA of a teenage female hunter-gatherer who died on Sulawesi, Indonesia more than 7,000 years ago revealed that it belonged to a lineage that had never been found anywhere in modern human in the world.

A research paper was published in the scientific journal Nature on the 25th.

Adam Brumm a professor of archeology at Griffith University's Center for Human Evolution explained in an email that about this discovery, it was the first ancient human DNA being found in the island region of Wallacea that located between Asia and Australia. He acknowledged that early modern humans in lesser-known regions of the world could provide new clues to the genetic diversity and population history.

It was believed that more than 50,000 years ago modern humans first crossed from Eurasia to Australia via Wallacea, which was mainly composed of Indonesian islands such as Sulawesi, Lombok, and Flores. The specific route and means of navigation were unknown, but Brumm believed that a fairly sophisticated boat could have been used. At that time, it was the last glacial period, and the sea level on the earth was down to 140 meters lower than it was now, yet it was said that there was no land connecting these islands.

From the discovery of tools and cave paintings, it was believed that these islands were inhabited 47,000 years ago. The bones analyzed this time were from a women aged 17-18 that were found in a cave on Sulawesi Island in 2015. The body was buried dating back to 7,200 years in the cave that was also part of an archaeological site.

DNA was collected from a wedge-shaped bone called cone bone. According to the lead author of the treatise, Selina Carlhoff, it was extremely difficult to collect DNA from the broken remains that had been significantly degraded in a tropical climate.

DNA analysis revealed that the woman was the first modern human descendant who come to Wallacea 50,000 years ago. They were among some of the first humans to settle in the combined Ice Age land mass of Australia and New Guinea. According to Brumm, she was the ancestor of today’s Australia indigenous people and the Papuans.

It was also found that this woman was the ancestor of another lineage of Asian origin. According to Brumm, it was previously thought that humans with Asian genes first settled in Wallacea about 3,500 years ago. However, the findings this time suggested that there might be a group of modern humans in the area that was completely unknown to us up to this moment.

Currently, no descendants of this lineage had survived.

The women's DNA also contained traces of the now extinct and mysterious Denisovans. To date, Denisovan fossils had been found primarily in Siberia and Tibet.

Johannes Krause, co-author of the paper and professor of Department of Archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, said that about the discovery of the Denisovan gene in the women in Sulawesi, this “supports our hypothesis that the Denisovans had spread over a wider area than we previously thought "

However, looking at the DNA of other hunters who lived in western Wallacea, there are no traces of Denisovans.

Co-author and Professor Cosimo Posth of the University of Tuebingen in Germany pointed out that, "In Wallacea, the geographical distribution of modern humans and Denisovans might have overlapped. Maybe it is an important place where Denisovans cross-bred with Aboriginal Australian and Papuans".

For those researchers seeking to understand the ancient genetic history of Southeast Asia, this discovery would be a piece of the puzzles.

              So, the DNA of a teenage female hunter-gatherer who died on Sulawesi of Indonesia more than 7,000 years ago reveals that it belongs to a lineage that has never been found anywhere in modern human in the world.

Note:

a. This research paper is published in Nature volume 596, pages543–547 (2021), it can be viewed in the following web-site: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03823-6

b. Adam Brumm is a professor of archaeology. He has active field research programs in the Wallacean archipelago of central and eastern Indonesia ('Wallacea'), the myriad of oceanic islands lying east of mainland Asia and the gateway to the continent of Australia. (https://experts.griffith.edu.au/7090-adam-brumm?_gl=1*1i9rfjj*_ga*OTQ0MjMyNjc4LjE2MzEwNjMwODM.*_ga_5GKYJEBSN9*MTYzMTA2MzA4Mi4xLjEuMTYzMTA2MzA5Mi4w)